Chamomile Tea For Digestion

Chamomile tea has been known for centuries for its soothing and relaxing properties, being used commonly to aid with problems such as insomnia, nervousness, as well as a comforting remedy during illnesses such as colds and flu. What many people don't know is that chamomile tea is an excellent remedy to help with digestion. Poor digestion is likely rooted in our poor food choices, poor eating habits and the fast-paced lifestyles. Correcting these are the key to having a health digestive system, but there are things that can be done to help alleviate daily chronic symptoms that many people experience such as gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea and constipation. One of the best herbal remedies as a "cure-all" for nearly all digestive problems, is drinking a high quality chamomile tea.

Chamomile tea contains essential oils and flavanoids, which actually relax the smooth muscles in the digestive tract, to relieve pain and cramping and promote normal peristalsis (the contractions of your intestinal tract that help move food along).

Another class of compounds called sesquiterpenes, have anti-inflammatory effects which helps soothe the irritated lining of the gastrointestinal tract and reduce the inflammation associated with poor digestion. This tea also acts as a relaxant, to help calm down nervousness and tension. Many people who suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) also suffer from symptoms of anxiety, which have been shown to contribute to their digestive complaints. It is well known that the digestive tract has many connections to the central nervous system, and therefore anxiety and emotional issues can have a huge impact on how your body digests food. By drinking chamomile tea regularly, and calming the system, people with IBS can help their symptoms by directly affecting their digestive tract, and indirectly by helping to relieve nervousness.

For people who have very mild digestion issues, drinking chamomile tea on "as-needed" basis is sufficient.

However, for people with chronic symptoms it is important to be able to get a high enough dose of the beneficial compounds, which can be achieved by drinking 3 to 5 cups per day, on a regular basis. Use 2 tsp of flower per cup, and infuse for 5 -10 minutes covered. Drink the tea while still hot, before all the beneficial essential oils evaporate.

The importance of drinking a high quality chamomile tea cannot be understated. Most grocery-store brands contain merely the "dust" and bits of flower that remain after sorting and packaging. Choose a brand that consists of high quality loose whole flowers, which contain the highest concentration of beneficial compounds to ensure that you get the freshest, most flavorful and health-promoting cup of tea.

* For those with allergies to ragweed, please use caution with chamomile, as it is part of the same family of herbs as ragweed, and some people may experience a cross-reaction. Try a cup or two, and if no allergy symptoms appear (such as an itchy throat) then you're probably fine.

*Women who are pregnant should not drink chamomile tea.

Health disclaimer:

The information provided in this article should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this article. Readers should consult a naturopathic doctor or a qualified health care professional on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

Acai Berry - For Digestion

The eating habits and patterns have undergone a tremendous change in the past few years. Eating out has become the latest trend. With life moving on a fast track, people often tend to eat what ever is available at a short notice, thus compromising on the quality and nutritional benefits of the food. The multiple food chains of the fast food giants also join the bandwagon by bombarding their commercials each day, in and out. These unhealthy eating patterns severely damage the digestive system and often lead to serious medical problems.

Many products are known to aid digestion and one such name is the acai berry. When compared to other fruits, acai berry stands out as it has ten times the antioxidant content than blueberries. This high antioxidant element is what aids the digestive system. Also rich in fiber the acai berries speed up the metabolic rate and burn more calories.

The antioxidants and essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 aid in expelling out the harmful toxins from the body which lead to unhealthy complications.

The three components required for the smooth functioning of the gastric system are fatty acids, fiber and physosterols and these three are abundantly found in acai berries.

These elements are known to strengthen the cell membranes of the digestive tract, help in detoxification, increase the metabolic rate and keep constipation at bay. Thus acai berries are very beneficial for the overall smooth functioning of the digestive tract and keep gastric and digestive problems away.

The acai berry can be taken in any form. It is available in freeze-dried powdered form which is used to make smoothies, juices and other health drinks.

One can also consume it by way of capsules. However if one can avail fresh juice of the acai there is nothing like it. A glass of juice daily will work wonders for the overall health profile of a person.



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Can Enzymes Aid Digestion?

We are more aware now than ever before that the foods we eat nourish our body while some may bring harm. We know that the energy we need we get from our foods, the healthy life we live we benefit from healthy foods. In whatever manner foods are categorized, be it by the calories they contain or the places they come from, they are processed in the body in the same manner. All foods go through a process called digestion starting in the mouth into the alimentary canal with the aid of chemical compounds specialized for their absorption called enzymes.

Digestion occurs because of the presence of enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. Foods are broken down into smaller substances, simpler compounds for use by the body. This process is coordinated with many other processes in the body altogether known as metabolism, and the enzymes of the digestive system serve as agents that connect digestion to the rest of metabolic reactions.

Mouth: Amylase and Lingual Lipase

Digestion begins in the oral cavity, the mouth in particular, with the chewing of foods.

Right after we swallow them, foods are mixed with saliva, which softens the food and causes them to stick together in the form of bolus. The saliva has the enzyme amylase that breaks down bigger carbohydrates into sugars that dissolve in water like maltose. Also, the oral cavity contains the enzyme lingual lipase that helps break down some fats into simpler fatty acids. When we push the bolus form of foods to the back of the mouth after we chew, it passes through the esophagus into the stomach in a few seconds.

Stomach: Pepsin

If we fail to chew the foods we swallow, digestion starts in the stomach.

Gastric acid is responsible for the low pH in the stomach, resulting in an acidic environment that exposes the chemical makeup of proteins and kill microorganisms that get in. The enzyme pepsin breaks down proteins into peptides, simpler amino acids. Alcohol passes through the stomach walls and gets absorbed by the blood, explaining the short time it takes to intoxicate the body. The rest of the food component is turned into a semi-fluid form called chime and passed to the small intestine.

Intestine: Carbohydrase, Lipase, and Protease

Much of the absorption process takes place in the small intestine where everything is further broken down into compounds the body can absorb through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream. Bile emulsifies fats and fatty acids. The pancreatic juice is a combination of different kinds of enzymes classified into three: (1) carbohydrase, (2) lipase, and (3) protease. Carbohydrase changes the chemical makeup of starches and other forms of carbohydrates into monosaccharides or simple sugars. Lipase changes emulsified fat molecules into monoglycerides and free fatty acids. Protease changes the peptide bonds of proteins into shorter chains of amino acids. All of which are ready for absorption by the fingerlike projections of the intestinal walls.

As you might have observed, enzymes are fundamental components of digestion. Have you had your digestive enzymes today?

Digestive Simple Home Remedies for Improve Digestion

Many Ayurvedic remedies that can help improve digestion. A need to improve digestion occurs when you have constipation, gas, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome. Ayurvedic remedies can assist your body to heal naturally, bring it back into balance and to help enhance your total well being.

Various Causes

Stresses of all kinds, physical, emotional and mental, are primary causes of poor digestion. All unconscious activity in the human body, including both our reactions to stress and digestion, are controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

In addition to mind and emotional stress like fear, anger and be anxious, physical stresses including infections, trauma from injuries, surgery and environmental toxins can have a major effect on our digestive efficiency. Antibiotics can kill a high percentage of the naturally occurring beneficial bacteria that we need for digestion.

Simple Home Remedies

Garlic:

Garlic can be used for a wide variety of purposes.

It has this property of helping and improving the digestive system. It is also useful to remove harmful substances from the body when taken in adequate quantity. Taking a clove of garlic for 1-3 times a day will soothe and help to prevent your condition from worsening.

Papaya:

Papaya is another home remedy for diverticulitis which is commonly used for helping in digestion. This fruit is the simply one contain a natural digestive aid identified as papain, which clean the digestive path. Take a good ripe papaya from the market and you can use it in different forms like a juice, with honey, along with other fruit etc.

Pear:

You can use this fruit to soothe the inflammation. Usually they are eaten just like that but you can bake them or drink juice.

Apple:

An apple might also be beneficial. An apple does not work for all people but it has been helping my dad's indigestion for 30 years now. Whenever you suffer an episode impending on, consume at least a piece of a red apple.

Brown Rice:

Most people in the world eat white rice but brown rice is far better for your digestive system if you care. It is also rich in fiber and helps to reduce the inflammation in the colon. So you should start taking brown rice for your own good.

Ajwain:

Take a teaspoon of ajwain together with some rock salt. This will help in soothing your digestive system and ease your discomfort.
Drinking water after every meal or snack can also help. Water can flush off the stomach cavity and create a tight seal for the sphincter. You should be drinking at least 100 ounces of water daily.

Herbal tea:

Another popular remedy is tea. Acid reflux is a western illness and a lot of people believe that easterners do not suffer on or after this disease because they drink tea. One extremely popular remedy for indigestion and acid reflux is drinking green tea with ginseng.

The Turkey Hill brand is a popular remedy.
Yoga is a very ancient form of exercise which has great abilities to provide solutions to several health related problems even today.

This applies even to gastrointestinal problems faced by us regularly. Yoga for digestive system has a set of exercises or positions, 'asanas' that can provide you complete relief, be it the 'IBS' or irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, constipation, heartburns, etc.

Yoga and ayurveda in combination can not just give you relief but also provide you with perfect medication and complete cure from several stomach and digestive order related ailments.



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Anaerobic Digestion for Energy and Biofuel from Municipal Solid Waste

Globally refuse disposal is still one of the great growth industries of our time. The majority of what we buy and use, is destined for the dustcart, and in an ever shorter time and breaking all previous records for quantity as civilization becomes more affluent.

We purchase great quantities of goods which come with a relatively short lifespan and abundant quantities of packaging material. In times gone by many of us composted our putrescible waste in our gardens ad vegetable plots.

Gardens are getting smaller, we grow fewer food crops, and there is little room left for the compost heap and the garden bonfire is often banned due to clean-air regulations.

Dustbins are getting larger and refuse collection authorities are becoming more efficient and helpful in collecting ever larger quantities of household refuse and civic amenity wastes.

To reduce the sheer bulk of waste destined for our landfill sites, to extend their operating lives and to minimize the environmental and safety hazards of the materials delivered unto them, there is increasing public and legislative pressure to recycle and reuse a greater proportion of the discarded possessions we call "municipal solid waste" ("MSW").

There is also a growing demand for energy and for that energy to be "green" and not from a fossil fuel based source which contributes to the greenhouse gas effect and climate change.

There are lots of ways that waste, with its locked-in energy, can be used as a fuel source, but one of the very best, if not the best is a process called Anaerobic Digestion.

The scope for anaerobic digestion of MSW "putrescibles" becomes apparent when one examines the composition of household refuse and the limitations of existing recycling schemes.

The big advantage possessed by anaerobic digestion is that using it to produce "biogas" can not only provide a fuel for ordinary diesel generators, but also can be converted into biofuel which can be used in the automotive industry. This can potentially provide us with green fuel in the place of fossil fuels which are saved.
Anaerobic Digestion is still a technology which needs a lot of improving and developing though. There are quite a few problems in using it reliably for the fermentation of wastes, despite the fact that Anaerobic Digestion has been used for sludge digestion at sewage works for at least 50 years.

The problems become apparent when one examines the cost and complexity of the anaerobic digestion equipment and the need to find appropriate outlets for the "refined digestate" liquid it produces.

The incentives derive from consideration of the alternatives:

The other alternatives, including refuse-sorting and incineration, refuse-derived fuels and refuse-reclaimed materials do not seem likely to offer an obvious straight forward quick-fix solution.
Landfilling is generally considered to be cheap and effective, if it's available, if it's acceptable in the locality, and it will always be required as the ultimate resting place for a small proportion of our refuse.
But landfill sites do fill up and the problem always remains of finding appropriate new sites..

To summarise this we would say that:

Household waste is inherently putrescible (compostible), and provides a natural material for decomposition by methane bacteria.
It will ferment naturally, in a landfill, which even when lined and capped is at comparatively little cost.
But, landfills do bring with them considerable environmental and safety hazards. They require extensive gas abstraction and leachate control systems to protect neighbouring crops, neighbouring properties and underground water supplies. Even then possibly 30% to 50% of the methane produced leaks out and can't be collected..
Household waste will also ferment rapidly in anaerobic digestion plants to provide a convenient source of biogas as fuel and a stabilised "digestate" for landfilling, or refining into useful soil conditioners and soil substitutes for agriculture, forestry or land reclamation. .
It will capture almost 100% of the methane produced, and this methane can also be processed into a automotive biofuel. It is carbon negative (helps reduce carbon emissions) and "green". Anaerobic Digestion technology may not be as reliable as other processes and the cost is high at present, but further investment in research into the processes will almost certainly be able to improve reliability very rapidly.>

Shouldn't you consider Anaerobic Digestion for your waste processing solution?.

Digestion - How the Stomach Digests Food

If you took your digestive track and laid it out on the kitchen table, almost all of it would look like a simple, narrow tube. The only exception is your stomach, which would look like a big pouch. Your stomach is located just below your gullet (esophagus).

Just like the digestive tube, your stomach is circled with strong muscles that perform rhythmic contractions called peristalsis. Peristalsis moves food around your stomach and basically turns your stomach into a sort of food processor when then breaks food into smaller particles. While this is occurring, there are glands in the stomach wall that secret stomach juices. These juices are a blend of enzymes, mucus and hydrochloric acid.

The stomach enzyme that digests small amounts of alcohol is called gastric alcohol dehydrogenase. Alcohol is an unusual nutrient because it can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream before it has been digested.

This is why one serving of alcohol is usually 90% absorbed in your body, in one hour.

More enzymes and stomach juices will begin to digest protein and fat by separating them into basic components, fatty acids and amino acids. For the most part, the digestion of carbohydrates is not done in the stomach. The stomach juices are so acidic that they deactivate amylases, which is the enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars. On the other hand, stomach acid can break some carbohydrates, so a bit of carb digestion does take place.

Eventually, your churning stomach will blend its contents into a thick, soupy mess called chyme. When a small amount of chyme spills from the stomach into the small intestine, the digestion of carbohydrates resumes.

Your body then begins to extract nutrients from the food.



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Digestion - How the Small Intestine Digests Food

If you open your hand and place it flat against your belly button, your hand is now covering most of the relatively small space that the small intestine is neatly coiled. The small intestine is roughly 20 feet long. When the soupy, partly digested food (chyme) spills from the stomach into the small intestine, this starts a new digestive process.

The small intestine is responsible for releasing gastric juices such as pancreatic and intestinal enzymes which finish the digestion of proteins and amino acids. Bile, which is a greenish liquid, allows fats to mix with water. Alkaline pancreatic juices make the stomach chyme less acidic so that complex carbohydrates can be broken down into simple sugars. And finally there is intestinal alcohol dehydrogenase, which digests alcohol that has not already been absorbed into the bloodstream.

When all of the above chemicals are working, the small intestine contracts and continues to move food down though the tubes in order for your body to absorb amino acids, sugars, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

The lining of the intestine is made up of a series of folds which are covered with projections that have been called "small fingers". The technical term for this is called villi. Each villus is covered by even smaller projections called microvilli. Every single villi and microvilli is programmed to accept a specific nutrient and no others.

Nutrients are not absorbed in the body by the order of their arrival. But by how fast they are broken down into their basic parts. Carbohydrates are quickly separated into simple sugars and as a result are absorbed first. Proteins as amino acids are absorbed next. Fats which take the longest to break apart are last.

This is why a high fat meal keeps you feeling fuller as it takes longer to digest than a vegetable salad.



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Digestion and Disease

Digestion and disease

by Colin Byrne

1 August 2011

I'm writing this article because many people I talk to have not made the connection between digestion and disease. In fact, many have been so enlightened to find the connection, that it has enabled them to take natural remedial action and find relief from a large number of ailments. Many simply do not believe me, yet the Royal society of medicine of Great Britain says, "90% of all chronic disease is caused by an unhealthy intestinal tract.”

So what is the connection and how does it work?

Over the last 50 years or so we have seen the raise of a large number of autoimmune diseases, and it appears that we have become victims of our own evolution, and I had a “gut feel”, if you'll excuse the pun, about what the connection between digestion and diseases was, but I had no proof. Recent research has confirmed, not only that this is so, but has figured out how it works, and I really excited to have found out too.

In the “good old days” most people had healthy digestive tracts, but since then, the widespread use of antibiotics, unhealthy medicines (like the pill), sanitising foods, and unhealthy nutritional behaviour, has reduced the micro flora in people's intestinal tracts to unhealthy toxins.

Microflora

Microflora in the intestinal tract are the microscopic bacterial population that help to “break down” foods, and assist digestion. Recent research in Scandinavia suggest that 90% of the cells and genetic material in our bodies are our own gut flora, so that gives you some idea of how important they are to our overall health. I will also explain where we get our gut bacteria from.

Microflora contain both “good” and “bad” bacteria. There are approximately 400 different types of microflora in our digestive system. Digestion consists of pre-digestion (chewing or fletcherising), digestion, and post-digestion. During this process the body secretes a number of enzymes and secretions to assist the digestive process.

If there are sufficient number in the gut, the “good” bacteria keep the “bad” bacteria under control. However if the “good” bacteria (because of the reasons mentioned above), are insufficient, the “bad” bacteria begins to outnumber the “good” bacteria. The good bacteria is commonly called probiotics, and are often found in fermented foods.

When the “bad” bacteria outnumbers the “good” bacteria, these toxic villains are spread throughout the body, and most significantly to neurons in the brain.

So where does it start

The accumulation of microflora begins at birth

As far as science knows, the baby inside the mother's womb during nine months of gestation is sterile. The baby's gut is sterile. The baby acquires its gut flora at the time of birth, when the baby goes through the birth canal of the mother. So whatever lives in mom's birth canal becomes the baby's gut flora. The vaginal flora comes from the bowel. So if the mother has abnormal gut flora, she will have abnormal flora in her birth canal.

It is the birth process that produces an hereditary microflora.

Over successive generations, because grandmother was subjected to antibiotics, she passed on her decreased probiotics, to her daughter, who was also subjected to antibiotics, and when she gives birth, she risks passing this onto her child, possibly causing autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression and schizophrenia.

In a recent study, it was shown that 100% of mothers with autistic children had unnatural microflora in the their intestines. A large number of the grandmothers had unnatural microflora, or reduced probiotics in their intestines.

What happens to a baby after birth when they are born with unnatural microflora?

Normally, mother's breast milk contains sufficient microflora to ensure her baby's immunity to the unnatural microflora, but if she is deficient in probiotics, the baby is exposed to serious toxins that could harm their health FOR THE REST of their lives unless they become aware of their condition, and take sufficient remedial action. Often these toxins contaminate neurons that lead to brain impairment or dysfunctions.

This condition is, in my view (and it is only my view, but many medical scientists share this view), the reason why this generation is producing more children with autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, schizophrenia and the condition known as bi-polar disease. It is also my view that this condition has also led to the increase in autoimmune-type diseases.

If not treated at birth, or soon thereafter, the immune system of the child will become severely impaired and the condition will grow worse with age. Many adults today, suffer from a lack of probiotics, and become gluten resistant, and develop a large number of allergies, and digestive problems.

What I can do to find out if I suffer with this condition?

There are a large number of laboratories that offer non-invasive and inexpensive tests (called a dysbiosis test or comprehensive digestive stool analysis ) to determine the content of microflora in intestines. Particular attention should be paid to levels of pathogens, particularly E-Coli, but the tests are quite comprehensive.

This test is normally only prescribed and considered necessary for people with intestinal tract infections or digestive problems. This is because the connection between digestion and disease is not widely know, and / or accepted.

What do I do if I have this condition?

In children between the age of birth and 5 years, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride has written an excellent book called, “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, in which she explains this condition and outlines the all natural and inexpensive procedures to take to remedy the situation (I highly recommend that everyone read it).

In adults, impaired microflora is not a “quick-fix”.

Whatever you do, do not subject yourself to any toxic treatments or toxic foods, or vaccines of any kind, or let any of your children be exposed until tested.

What one has to do, is re-seed the gut with beneficial microflora. These are mainly contained in fermented foods, like yoghurt, but I strongly suggest adding the Japanese food, natto, but be warned it has been described as smelling like “old socks” and can be challenging to eat. Here is a U tube video that offers alternative ways to eat it. (I prefer the pasta, but don't cook the natto. I add it, chopped, only after I have cooked the pasta and I let the pasta warm the natto. I add organic cherry tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chilli, and parmesan cheese, but use a form of self-hypnosis to eat it). One has to experiment and find what works for you, but it is the best form of fermented food you can eat.

Just as gorgonzola cheese is an acquired taste so is natto. It is packed with vitamin K2, and is extremely beneficial to microflora.

Natto is made from fermented soy (the only type of soy one should eat, the rest is not beneficial to microflora. Mothers – don't feed your babies soya substitutes). You can, as an alternative use natto kinase (a powdered form), but it it not as beneficial to microflora as the raw food.

Fucoidan and arabinogalactin have both been shown to improve levels of microflora in clinical trials on animals. Both these ingredients are included in the health supplement I produce, Glyco-Boost.

"Immunomodulating activity of arabinogalactan and fucoidan in vitro"
J Med Food. 2005 Winter;8(4):446-53.
"Department of Biotechnology & Bioproducts Research Center, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Many polysaccharides obtained from natural sources are considered to be biological response modifiers and have been shown to enhance various immune responses. Data suggest that arabinogalactan and fucoidan are activators of lymphocytes and macrophages. This property may contribute to their effectiveness in the immunoprevention of cancer." 

Besides fucoidan and arabinogalactin, Glyco-Boost includes gum ghatti, an emulsifier that assists in binding stools, and thus removing toxins and pathogens from the bowel.

Conclusion

I hope I have made you aware, if not convinced you, that the connection between digestion and disease is critical to maintaining good health and that the cure does not involve expensive drugs, but rather patience, persistence and common sense.

The basis of good health is a healthy digestive tract. It influences our thoughts, moods, emotions and logic. In a sense, it is a second brain, but in my view, it is the “first” brain. “Gut feel” (intuition) is only developed through healthy microflora in the gut.

Further reading:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/12/beware--bacteria-growing-in-your-gut-can-influence-your-behavior.aspx

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